The Devil Rays became known as giant-killers last season, as they continued to play up (or down) to their competition. They won 11 of 19 games against the New York Yankees' evil empire and they even put a dent in the Indians' postseason hopes when they won two of three in late September. A new ownership group and manager hope to take the right steps to make that success less of a surprise and more of an expectation.
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Their 2005 success could be a sign of better things to come -- especially when you consider the players that made the biggest impact, Jorge Cantu, Carl Crawford, Jonny Gomes and Scott Kazmir will all be 25 years old or younger this season. Only the Red Sox's and Yankees' formidable lineups had better team batting averages in all of baseball than the Devil Rays' .274 effort last year. Add B.J. Upton, the second overall pick in 2002, and Baseball America's 2005 Minor League Player of the Year Delmon Young, and Tampa Bay has the makings of a team that could fight for a wild card within a couple years.
Unfortunately, the worst thing about having a great future is that likely means you don't have a great present. Their pitching staff has more holes than my lucky underwear. After Kazmir, a potential 15-win, 200-K pitcher, and Casey Fossum, a resurrected former Boston/Arizona prospect, the Rays will hand the ball to Seth McClung and a combination of two from Mark Hendrickson, Doug Waechter and former top Dodgers prospect Edwin Jackson. That's not exactly a rotation to fear -- well, except if you are in the Rays' outfield.
Spring position battles
Closer -- Chad Orvella vs. Shinji Mori and Jesus Colome
The team also traded away one of their most valuable pitchers (Danys Baez) this winter, so their closer spot is officially up for grabs. Orvella, their minor-league saves leader last season, has the inside track, but Japanese free-agent signee Mori and Colome might have something to say about that before spring's out. Orvella performed well in his major-league audition, but he hasn't done enough to make him anything more than a late-round selection in mixed leagues -- even if he wins the job early in spring.
Right field -- Gomes, Aubrey Huff vs. Young
The biggest news heading into spring isn't necessarily who will be on the field for Tampa Bay, but who won't be. They have a glut of outfielders and some trades will have to be made in order to accommodate everyone. Huff will be a free agent at season's end, so if he doesn't go this spring, he'll be gone by the trade deadline. Rocco Baldelli is coming back from knee and Tommy John surgery, so his early at-bats might come at DH -- if he's even ready by opening day. If he works out of the DH spot, that corners the Devil Rays into playing Joey Gathright or Damon Hollins in center, with Huff at first base, Young in right and Gomes as their DH. Even if Young starts the season in the minors, he's still likely going to be their first call-up. He hit .285-6-28-33-7 in just 52 games at Triple-A Durham last season. His power/speed potential makes him worth drafting in the mid- to late-rounds of mixed leagues as a reserve.
Third base -- Sean Burroughs vs. Ty Wigginton
The Devil Rays let Alex S. Gonzalez go, and Burroughs and Wigginton will likely platoon at third base, with Burroughs getting more starts against right-handers. Burroughs is also a better defensive player and manager Joe Maddon might prefer to have better gloves on the corners (Travis Lee returns at first base) than bats in the lineup for several contests. But Burroughs is still a light-hitting corner man that should only draw Fantasy interest late in AL-only leagues.
Shortstop -- Julio Lugo vs. Upton
Lugo and CF Gathright give the Rays some trading chips to barter with -- a solid hitting shortstop and a speedy center fielder. All three of those players have been shopped recently and will continue to be dangled in hopes of bringing back some pitching arms. Upton and Young could both find themselves on the opening-day roster if they perform well in spring and the Devil Rays move Lugo. Upton is a little farther away, as he recorded 53 errors at Triple-A Durham last season. But he spent some time with Hall-of-Famer Ozzie Smith this winter and the team plans on keeping Upton a shortstop until he works out the kinks. He has great potential at the plate, but he'll have to improve his glovework if his talents are to be utilized at the major-league level. Lugo has enough speed and talent to make him a safe starting SS option in mixed leagues, even if he gets traded.
| Tampa Bay Devil Rays Outlook | |||||
| Projected lineup | Pos. | Projected Rotation | |||
| 1 | Carl Crawford | LF | 1 | Scott Kazmir | LH |
| 2 | Julio Lugo | SS | 2 | Casey Fossum | LH |
| 3 | Jorge Cantu | 2B | 3 | Seth McClung | LH |
| 4 | Aubrey Huff | 1B | 4 | Doug Waechter | RH |
| 5 | Jonny Gomes | DH | 5 | Mark Hendrickson | LH |
| 6 | Rocco Baldelli | CF | Alt | Edwin Jackson | RH |
| 7 | Delmon Young | RF | Top bullpen arms | ||
| 8 | Sean Burroughs | 3B | CL | Chad Orvella | RH |
| 9 | Toby Hall | C | SU | Shinji Mori | RH |
| Top bench options | RP | Jesus Colome | RH | ||
| R | Joey Gathright | OF | RP | Chad Harville | RH |
| R | Travis Lee | 1B | RP | Travis Harper | RH |
| Rookies/Prospects | Age | Pos. | 2005 high | Destination | |
| 1 | Delmon Young | 20 | OF | Triple-A | Majors |
| Logjam in outfield could send future 30-30 man back to Durham | |||||
| 2 | Jason Hammel | 23 | RH SP | Triple-A | Triple-A |
| Great command gives him chance in spring, but a May call-up is more likely | |||||
| 3 | Jeff Niemann | 23 | RH SP | Double-A | Double-A |
| Injuries have derailed Rice star, but could become Kazmir's RH partner | |||||
| 4 | Wes Bankston | 22 | 1B | Double-A | Triple-A |
| Great power prospect had to move to 1B from RF | |||||
| 5 | Elijah Dukes | 21 | OF | Double-A | Triple-A |
| Has to deal with discipline issues before bat becomes valuable | |||||
| Best of the rest: OF Josh Hamilton, 24; C Shawn Riggans, 25; RH SP Jamie Shields, 24; LHP Chuck Tiffany, 21; OF Fernando Perez, 22; RH SP Wade Davis, 20; RH RP Chris Mason, 21; C/DH John Jaso, 22; RH SP Wade Townsend, 23 (by opening day); SS Reid Brignac, 20; OF Shaun Cumberland, 21; 2B Elliot Johnson, 22 (by opening day). | |||||
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